Nelson Mandela tribute: Al Sharpton speaks on leader’s death

Rev. Al Sharpton on Thursday said the world “has lost one of history’s greatest citizens” following reports that former South African President Nelson Mandela died at the age of 95.

“Anytime you were around him, you had a sense you were in the presence of greatness. Nelson Mandela had this gravity yet humility that was unmatched,” Sharpton on MSNBC Thursday . “[T]he world has lost someone who has literally changed world history. This is not just the first black president, this is one who led the revolution and evolution of a nation.”

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Nelson Mandela: A look back

“The real message behind Mandela was not only that he was able to break the bounds and to break the shackles of bigotry, bias and hate,” said Sharpton. “[H]e did it without internalizing the things that he was fighting and that’s a very difficult thing to do.”